Renault’s Dacia Duster SUV creates storm in the UK: 1,000 pre-orders in little more than 100 days

Renault’s Romanian car manufacturing brand, Dacia has revealed that they have received 1,000 pre-orders of Duster SUV in a little over 100 days. Back in June this year, Dacia announced the price of Duster in the UK, which started from a shockingly affordable £8,995. Today, there are a lot of curious customers are enquiring in the UK about the Duster, especially for the top-end Laureate and 4×4 variants. All this, when it is still three months to go for the Duster SUV to arrive at showrooms across the UK.

Dacia Duster is being enquired by one and all, people who live in the city and who are in the rural towns. In the UK, Duster is available in a choice of two petrol and four diesel powered variants, priced between £8,995 and £14,995. Duster petrol is powered by a 1.6L four cylinder engine generating 105 PS power and 148 Nm torque while giving a mileage of 39.8 mpg or 13.93 kmpl. Two variants of this model will be available, 2WD and 4WD. Duster petrol will have a top speed of 164 kmph (102mph) and can accelerate from 0-100 kmph (0-62 mph) in just 11.5 seconds (160 kmph and 12.8 seconds respectively for the 4WD variant). Carbon emissions are at 177 gms / km for 2WD and 185 gms / km for the 4WD.

An even powerful variant of Duster petrol is also available, but the chances of this making to India doesn’t seem bright. This one will have 2.0L engine 4WD generating 135 PS and 195 Nm torque. Topspeed 177 kmph and 0-100 kmph in just 10.4 seconds. Mileage 36 mpg or 12.6 kmpl.

Duster diesel is available in the UK with two trims – Ambience and Laureate, each having a 2WD and a 4WD option. Powered by 1.5L diesel engine from Renault, Duster diesel has a base price of £11,495 OTR (Rs 10.21 lacs) and topend price of £14,995 OTR (Rs 13.33 lacs). 1.5L diesel engine generates 110 PS power and peak torque of 240 Nm. Mileage – 53 mpg (19 kmpl), top speed is at 170 kmph, 0-100 kmph in 11.8 seconds while carbon emissions at 140 gms / km.
All right hand drive variants of Duster are being manufactured at Renault-Nissan’s plant in Chennai, India and exported to countries in Europe. Duster has a boot space of 475 ltrs which can be increased up to 1,636 ltrs when rear seats are folded.